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Five thousand Jamaicans are expected to gain employment in the tourism industry through the construction of four hotels, to cost some US$250 million, over the coming months.

Of the four hotels, two will be located in Trelawny, one in Kingston, and the other in Port Antonio.

Addressing the press launch of a revitalised ‘Spruce Up Jamaica’ initiative at the Devonshire, Devon House, St Andrew yesterday, Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, said both temporary and permanent job opportunities will be available from the investments.

Providing a breakdown of the jobs, Bartlett said over 2,000 persons will be employed in Trelawny during the construction phase, while 600 permanent jobs will be available thereafter.

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Over the years, hiring managers have borne witness to every hiring, interviewing, résumé, cover letter and negotiation mistake there is.

You know what these blunders are. We’ve told you several times. Yet you, and hundreds of other job seekers, continue to make common job-search mistakes.

From those who see them over and over, here are 16 common job-search mistakes to avoid. Some of them may surprise you.

1. You don’t keep your options open

“Candidates tend to think that if they interview for a job they will get an offer, so they do not apply and interview for multiple positions,” says Joanie Spain, director of public relations and career services for the School of Advertising Art, a graphic design college in Kettering, Ohio. “They wait until one plays out completely, putting their job search on hold until knowing for sure they didn’t get the offer.”

Roy Cohen, author of “The Wall Street Professional’s Survival Guide: Success Secrets of a Career Coach,” adds, “By having many more irons in the fire, you diversify the risk and disappointment that is inevitable when any single opportunity disappears. You also present yourself as a more passionate and energetic candidate. You’re in the ‘zone’ — a point where you’re in the flow of information and ideas — and that makes you more valuable.”

2. You turn up your nose at job descriptions

Entry-level candidates are reluctant to apply for a position unless the job sounds like their ‘dream job’ or they have all qualifications listed. Rather than going on an interview to get more information, they base decisions about applying on the job description alone. They fail to see that all interview experience is good experience, or that, until there is an offer on the table, there is no decision to make.

3. You haven’t perfected the thank-you note

“Don’t be too verbose with a thank-you note after an interview,” says Mike Barefoot, senior account manager at Red Zone Resources, a recruitment firm in Garner, N.C. “Sending out a version of ‘War and Peace’ can come across as desperate and needy for a job. However, sending a one- or two-sentence thank-you note comes across as flippant, not well-thought-out and potentially shows indifference regarding the job to the employer. We encourage candidates to keep them to four to eight sentences.”

4. You don’t check your references

“Always give out references that you’ve pre-screened. We sometimes see candidates give out references that were never checked with and the references’ feedback isn’t always kind,” Barefoot says. “Also, make sure they’re predominantly managers. An occasional colleague is OK, but contemporaries and friends really don’t carry that much weight in helping you land a position.”

5. You have poor business acumen

“Managers are becoming more savvy and are taking candidates out to lunch for interviews. They want to see how you treat a restaurant staff and see the ‘real’ you. If you’re rude to them or don’t seem appreciative for their hard work to make your meal pleasurable, managers wonder how you’ll treat contemporaries you work with,” Barefoot says.

6. You have a messy briefcase

“A messy briefcase can imply the person is unorganized, messy and unprepared, and that their work will be less than optimal,” says Ronald Kaufman, author of “Anatomy of Success.” “Someone who is neat, clean, organized and prepared in all areas conveys they’re serious about getting a job and working.”

7. You discount temporary positions

“Many employers coming out of a recession want to hire on a temporary or temp-to-perm basis. We have already seen several contractors be offered permanent positions after they have proven themselves,” says Jeffrey Weinstock, president Rhodes & Weinstock, a recruiting firm in Washington, D.C. “Not only will the temporary position pay some bills, think of it as an audition for a potential perm position, or at least a way to get a good reference for another position.”

8. You have a bad attitude

“Poor attitudes come through in telephone calls and in interviews. If you are not positive, why would a potential employer want to hire you?” Weinstock asks. “It may take some time, but by being positive, by doing all the right things, by seeing each position as an opportunity, it will happen.”

9. You include too much work history

“Many job seekers over 40 think that they have to take their work history back to their first job out of college,” says Cheryl E. Palmer, career coach and résumé writer. “All that is needed is the last 10-15 years of your work history.”

10. You use your work email address on your résumé

“Some people do not regularly check their personal email, so they use their employers’ email instead,” Palmer says. “This sends a negative message to potential employers that the job seekers will not hesitate to use their equipment for personal use.”

11. You take ‘no’ as a final answer

“No” usually only means “no” for that position, says Bruce Hurwitz, president and CEO of Hurwitz Strategic Staffing, an executive recruiting firm in New York City.

“If you are rejected for a job, you should send a thank-you note, thank the employer for the opportunity, and wish them well. No one does that. When the next opening comes around, he’ll remember you,” Hurwitz says.

12. You lack tact

“Be determined without being pushy. Calling or emailing to ask about the status of your résumé or interview can be a double-edged sword,” says Rod Hughes, director of communications for Oxford Communications, in Lambertville, N.J. “A tactful follow-up can place you top of mind with the hiring manager, while incessant calling or emailing can push your résumé right off the table.”

13. You don’t search for yourself on the Internet

“Your would-be employer is probably going to look you up online, so you should know what is out there,” says Amanda O’Brien, vice president of marketing for Hall Web Services, based in Portland, Maine. “Clean up what you can, check your privacy settings on social networks and if it is something you can’t get down off the Internet, you may want to consider talking to the company about it.”

14. You have a ‘death by bullets’ résumé

“Bullets are great, but they need context. Keep them to one line, focused on a result and include a figure like a fact, percentage or number,” says Adriana Llames, author of “Career Sudoku: 9 Ways to Win the Job Search Game.” “Or, put the information in a short summary of the position.”

15. Your strategy is scattered

“Looking for a job in any industry and with two or three résumés is going to get the same result as the strategy: scattered,” Llames says. “Job seekers with a clearly defined, focused and organized strategic approach to their job search end up with clear results — and a new job.”

16. You think it’s about you

It is not about you and your need for a job — it is about the prospective employer and their need to run a successful business and make money, says Lori B. Rassas, employment attorney and author of “Employment Law: A Guide to Hiring, Managing and Firing for Employers and Employees.”

“Many applicants mistakenly believe they will be an appealing candidate if they explain they will accept any type of job offer because they have been laid off, unemployed for an extended period of time, have children in college, or are having difficulty making the mortgage payments,” she says. “Even if all of those circumstances are true, candidates need to craft a different message, focusing on how they can benefit the employer by saving them money, streamlining processes, creating additional sources of revenue and bringing overall value to the company.”
Adapted from CareerBuilder

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More than 8,000 Jamaicans are to benefit from employment opportunities in Canada under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Programme (SAWP), this year.

The farm workers, 310 of whom will leave on January 6 as the first batch, will be engaged in various agricultural industries, including greenhouse crop production, food processing, vegetable and plant nurseries as well as other agricultural activities.

Director of the Overseas Employment Service, Delroy Palmer, told JIS News that the crop and the duration of the crop will determine how long they stay. “So, we have workers staying six weeks to three months, up to eight months,” he explained.

The workers will be sent weekly, ending in September. The season officially ends on December 15.

A ceremony for the dispatch of the farm workers to Canada was held today (January 5), at the Ministry’s Overseas Employment Services Centre, on East Street, downtown Kingston

They will be working in Leamington, Simcoe, Owen Sound, West Lorne, Goderich, Stratford and Woodstock, in the province of Ontario.

Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Dr. Fenton Ferguson, who spoke at the ceremony, said the programme is an important contributor to the local economy, noting that preliminary figures for the 2015 period show earnings in remittance from the programme of over Cdn$20 million (J$1.7 billion), an increase of 20 per cent over the Cdn$16 million earned in 2014.

“This overseas programme must be seen as a critical part of the growth agenda for our country. It must be seen as part of the economic growth of the country,” the Minister emphasised.

The programme, which is in its 50th year, continues to be an important contributor to the economic development as well as a job generator for hundreds of Jamaicans, with approximately 8,090 Jamaicans benefitting from employment opportunities in Canada last year.

The farm work component accounted for 97 per cent of this number, while other persons travelled under the Low Skill and Skilled Workers programmes.

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THE Statistical Institute of Jamaica’s (STATIN) latest Labour Force Survey shows that the number of persons employed, as at July 2015, rose to 1,147,500.

This represents an increase of 23,200, relative to the corresponding period last year, and the highest figure recorded since October 2008.

The data also shows that the unemployment rate, also as at July 2015, was 13.1 per cent, representing the lowest quarterly figure recorded since July 2012.

This was 0.7 per cent lower than July 2014, and 0.1 per cent point below the figure recorded in April 2015.

Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) Director General Colin Bullock, provided this update during the agency’s quarterly media briefing at its New Kingston offices on November 19.

Bullock said that seven of the 16 industry groups surveyed recorded higher employment levels.

The largest increases, he outlined, were recorded in: Real Estate, Renting, and Business Activities — up 14,400 persons; Hotels and Restaurants — up 7,300 persons; Construction — up 4,300; and Wholesale and Retail, Repair of Motor Vehicles and Equipment, which rose by 3,800.

The Director General said that the data also showed a decline in youth unemployment.Jamaica records highest employment in seven years — STATIN

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—
We manufacture and package natural spices.
We are a new small Scale Manufacturing Business Located in Spanish Town St. Catherine.
We process and package everyday spices such as Ginger, Sweet Pepper, Hot Pepper, Garlic, Onion, Scallion, Thyme, Pimento, Nutmeg and Cinnamon. We intend to sell these packaged spices to retailers such as Shops, Wholesales and Supermarkets.
We are currently looking for goal oriented, energetic and enthusiastic Sales Persons to help us create our customer base and ultimately thereby creating awareness.
You must have at least 3 CXC subjects or equivalent and they must include English.
You must be between the age of 25 and 35
This is a commission based job.
No interview required.
If you believe you have what it takes please send your resume to repsja360@yahoo.com

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The Receptionist reports to the Human Resources Director. He or she is responsible for attending to visitors and deal with inquiries both on the phone and face to face. S/he supplies information regarding the organization to the general public, clients and customers.

1. Duties and Responsibilities:
• Handles all incoming calls in prompt, professional and efficient manner.
• Deals with queries from internal and external customers.
• Receives, sorts and distributes incoming mail
• Takes and relays messages to intended recipients.
• Receives logs and disburses cheques.
• Prepares ID cards for Temporary employees (Holiday/Temp staff)
• Prepares emergency letters and other HR documents as requested
• Assists with scheduling of interviews
• Issues application forms, process interviewees and creates folders for submission to the Recruiting and Development Officer
• Prepares airway bills for independent Courier services
• Submits requisition forms for ordering of stationery supplies
• Maintains an updated CPJ In House Phone Directory
• Maintains the HR cubbyhole containing forms/documents
• Assists in the coordination of various HR programmes and operational support activities.
1.2 General Responsibilities:
• To implement any activity, process or strategy that will improve the competitive advantage of the company, in consultation with the Director of HR.
• Ensuring the maintenance of the good name and reputation of Caribbean Producers Jamaica Ltd. in general through the demonstration and practice of the highest standards of ethical conduct.
• To abide by the disciplinary code of the company.
• Any other duties as may be assigned.
2. Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:
• Ability to operate a switchboard
• Professional personal presentation.
• Well organised and methodical approach to work and the work environment
• Should possess good written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to develop and maintain good interpersonal relationships with colleagues, staff and customers.
• Ability to work within Company Policies.
• An understanding of the principles of good customer service.
• General administrative and clerical support
• Knowledge of computers and relevant software applications
• Knowledge of customer service principles and practices
• Ability to organize, plan and use own initiative.
• Should be meticulous, reliable and able to handle stressful situations.
3. Education & Experience:
• Associate Degree in Business Administration or its equivalent.
• At least two (2) years related experience, preferably in a Hospitality related area.
• Advanced computing knowledge especially Microsoft Office suite.

Send CVs to talentsourcejamaica@gmail.com with “Receptionist |Mobay in the subject line.

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Growing photography company in St Andrew seeks a Booking Assistant. The Booking Assistant will be responsible for organizing the work schedule, dispatching photographers, communicating with customers and assisting with the development of the organization.

Requirements

– Five (5) CXC Subjects including Mathematics, English and Information Technology
-Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word
-Knowledge of Photoshop
-Good Leadership skills
-Good verbal and written communication skills
-Strong attention to detail with the ability to multi-task and work under pressure.
-Good problem-solving skills
-Good social media networking skills
-Must reside within Kingston and St. Andrew

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We are looking for an organized, efficient Accounting Clerk with an eye for detail and high level of accuracy. You will be expected to handle communications with vendors, clients, and internal teams, assist with inventory, database, and record maintenance, prepare financial reports, and generally ensure that the office operations are running smoothly.

You should be professional and courteous with strong computer skills and a thorough understanding of accounting and financial principles.
Interested applicants can send their Cover Letter and Resume to abigail.whyte@fenntechltd.com by May 21, 2018.